Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

त्रिनेत्रा भस्मदिग्धांगाः कपालाकृतिशेखराः । साक्षात्सांबा महादेवा भवेयुर्नात्र संशयः

Transliteration

trinetrā bhasmadigdhāṃgāḥ kapālākṛtiśekharāḥ | sākṣātsāṃbā mahādevā bhaveyurnātra saṃśayaḥ

Translation

Pourvus de trois yeux, les membres enduits de cendre sacrée et le front ceint d’ornements semblables à des crânes, ils deviennent Mahādeva en personne, avec Śambā ; là-dessus, nul doute.

Word by Word

• tri-netrāḥ: three-eyed
• tri-netrāḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri-netra (प्रातिपदिक; त्रि + नेत्र)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन; समासः—द्विगु (त्रीणि नेत्राणि यस्य)

• bhasma-digdha-aṃgāḥ: with limbs smeared with ash
• bhasma-digdha-aṃgāḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhasma-digdha-aṃga (प्रातिपदिक; भस्म + दिग्ध + अङ्ग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (भस्मना दिग्धानि अङ्गानि यस्य)

• kapāla-ākṛti-śekharāḥ: having a crest shaped like a skull
• kapāla-ākṛti-śekharāḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kapāla-ākṛti-śekhara (प्रातिपदिक; कपाल + आकृति + शेखर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (कपालाकृतिः शेखरः यस्य)

• sākṣāt: directly/in person
• sākṣāt: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākṣāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: ‘directly/in person’)

• sāṃbāḥ: Sāmbas (Śiva with Umā)
• sāṃbāḥ: Karta (Predicate noun/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāṃba (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन; ‘साम्ब’ (उमा-सहित शिव)

• mahādevāḥ: great gods (Mahādevas)
• mahādevāḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-deva (प्रातिपदिक; महा + देव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (महान् देवः)

• bhaveyuḥ: would become/would be
• bhaveyuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• atra: here/in this matter
• atra: Adhikarana (Scope/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: ‘here/in this matter’)

• saṃśayaḥ: doubt
• saṃśayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Setukhaṇḍa māhātmya narration context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rāmeśvara / Rāmanātha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Liberated beings stand as Śiva himself: three-eyed, bodies smeared with ash, skull-crown, accompanied by Śambā (Pārvatī) presence implied; the scene asserts certainty—‘no doubt’—with a radiant, finality-filled aura.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādeva
• Śambā (Umā/Pārvatī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The kṣetra’s grace can bestow intimate proximity to Śiva—so complete it is expressed as becoming Mahādeva in form.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Rāmanātha Śiva-kṣetra at Rāmeśvaram.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct injunction; Śaiva signs (bhasma, iconographic traits) are described as results of the kṣetra’s merit.